North Wales business & council leaders seek urgent meeting with UK Transport Secretary in bid to unlock investment

Business and local authority leaders from North Wales, the Wirral and Cheshire West and Chester in the Growth Track 360 partnership are seeking an urgent meeting with the UK Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps to find ways to accelerate investment in cross-border rail links. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Growth Track 360 has made multiple submissions to the Treasury and Department for Transport for investment. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

It has also backed an application to the UK Levelling Up Fund by Flintshire Council but no announcement on cross-border rail investment was made in last month’s Budget and Spending Review by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Growth Track 360 Chair and Leader of Cheshire West & Chester Council, Councillor Louise Gittins, said: “Growth Track 360 is making all the right arguments and presenting all the right evidence for rail investment to support green economic growth in our cross-border economic powerhouse region but we are not seeing the backing we need from the UK Government.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“We want to understand what more we need to do to accelerate our projects” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Growth Track 360 Vice Chair and Leader of Flintshire Council, Councillor Ian Roberts, said: “We need the Union Connectivity Review and other impending UK Government announcements to unlock the funds and resources we need for Growth Track 360’s three key projects – the Wrexham-Liverpool service, North Wales Main Line electrification and a transformed station at Chester.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“We want to meet constructively with the Transport Secretary and welcome him to our region to present our case.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​